OB - nope, I live in Greenwich! I'm a Serpie, but... my parents have bought a house near Bourton, which they go to most weekends, Thurs to Mon (they're semi-retired, so can't move permanently till they stop working in London...).

I've given up working to do a PhD full-time, boyfriend has been called up by TA to go to Iraq, and I'm kind of tempted by the prospect of moving back with my parents for a few days a week, especially given the location of their new house. It's a bit lonely studying by myself at home all day... and running in the Cotswolds is much nicer than SE London.

Only drawback is that my parents seem to think I'm nearer thirteen than thirty, and get very anxious about my safety. Last time I was there I had a 45 minute 'discussion' with my father as to whether or not he would kerb-crawl me in the car for the duration of my 8-mile run - at 8am on a sunny Sunday morning. I was wondering whether there would be any possibility of joining Bourton Roadrunners as a second-claim member, and joining in a few club runs, partly for the social aspect and partly for the safety aspect. I'm doing FLM 2005, so I can't afford to go somewhere I can't train, particularly when it gets darker.

From what you've said, though, it sounds like just the kind of club I'm scared of - full of male vets who'd leave me for dust within a mile! I was kind of hoping that someone would say that it's a lovely small club that welcomes very slow women!!

Not any more. I've lived in Shropshire for nearly 30 years but the rest of my family are still in the area. Don't worry about parents treating you as a 13 year old - I'm in my fifties and that still happens!

I wasn't a runner when I lived around there so don't know what the club is like but their site www.bourtonroadrunners.co.uk says they are a small friendly club open to people of all abilities. I've never belonged to a club so they might all say that!

Then only reason I mentioned the scary vet is because I used to work for him and so my family fill me in on his marathon activities since I've started doing them.

I guess there's only one way for you to find out and that is turn up and see. Then, if your worst fears are confirmed you can still do the run alone thing (after working on dad) as that has to be a better option than doing it in SE London I presume.

Yes, I think most clubs say that. But it's the ones full of vets that really worry me. It seems that every race I do, some 70-year-old runner who looks like he shouldn't be able to walk unaided, let alone run, will wheeze alongside me for 5 or 6 miles, and then a mile from the finish will turn round and thank me for the chat before sprinting off and doing a 6 min mile, finishing 40 places ahead of me. I think I'd get a bit disheartened if they did that on a club run too! Well, I guess I'll email them and find out... it would only be the occasional run, so maybe I'd just have to make it a speed session!

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